A minimalist architect project
When updating a historic building that many have a personal relationship with, it is important to be careful and respectful. It takes a trained eye to see which of the original details should be accentuated and inspire new additions, what should be carefully renovated and what should be removed.
In this project of Katarina västra skola, a beautiful school that was built in 1858 on Södermalm in Stockholm, extra care had to be taken during the renovation as the building is blue-marked by the City Museum in Stockholm, which means that it constitutes "extremely high cultural-historical values".
Katarina västra skola is culturally classified and which means that you were not allowed to change the floor plan. Therefore, they chose to convert each of the 22 school halls into an apartment. To make room for all functions, the ceiling height is about 5 meters.
Behind the conversion is Oscar Properties, a company that has made a name for itself by building homes in Stockholm and Uppsala that feel much more New York than classic Swedish.
To create a modern living in the former classrooms, Oscar Properties enlisted the help of the architectural firm Arbéns and together they chose to use the halls' generous ceiling height of 5 meters to make apartments on two floors, with both open mezzanines and enclosed rooms.
Sometimes the most influential details in a kitchen are those that are not visible. For example, to remove handles and to make all cabinets equally wide so that the lines are symmetrical.
The stairwell in Katarina Västra Skola was carefully restored and given another elegant feature in the form of square paintings, inspired by the original architect's preserved drawings.
In the apartments, they have chosen to leave the beautiful 19th century details such as profiled moldings, panels, and stucco remaining and they have been renovated to their former glory. The new additions are super modern and very minimalist. A nice contrast that clearly distinguishes between the historical parts of the house and the modern additions. In this way, the new owners get an ultra-modern home that is adapted to today's way of life, which at the same time breathes history.
What connects the old with the new is the austere color scheme that is found throughout the building. It means that the new and the old, despite their obvious contrasts, still harmonize and flow together. The mix of art, interior design and modern and historic architecture has great potential to be fantastic!
The kitchen is matched up with a long narrow limestone table from Public studios. By having a table that is not so deep, you can create more space in a smaller apartment.
For the newly built kitchen in the historic building, details loaded with a feeling that appeals to all the senses were chosen. Together they become a stripped-down and modern version of a Rembrandt still life.
One of those who chose to move to such a special accommodation decided to add a little extra by bringing in Nordiska Kök and letting us design a kitchen for their apartment on the second floor of the house.
The bespoke kitchen has been painted in the same gray tone as the walls in the magnificent staircase and has the same modern feel as the other extensions in the apartment. By having a long row of equally wide cabinets in the same color, the kitchen merges with the wall and gives the room space and air.
The symmetrical design makes the eye feel calm, as does the fact that you have removed the handles and instead provided the cabinets with a hidden grip strip. But a kitchen in such a home must also accommodate a lot of storage, be smartly planned and very functional. Which you succeed well by having a beautiful countertop in the Gotland limestone Norrvange, a small tribute to the large beautiful school stairs in the entrance.
The limestone is durable while being soothing and minimalist. The top has an undermounted stainless steel sink, as stylish as it is functional. The hob is also seamlessly mounted in the top and its placement is both aesthetic and practical.
A stripped-down calm home is like an unpainted canvas. You can add lots of color and shape or you can, as in this case, stick to the same color scale, which gives a very harmonious impression. The beautiful Crown chair is designed by Massproductions.
Functions such as a dishwasher are not visible from the outside because it is hidden behind a similar front as the other cabinets. The fridge is located next to the kitchen under one of the apartment's mezzanines.
The interior design is meant to be modestly luxurious. Nothing has been left to chance here and all options are of the highest quality. The expression should not be screaming, do not take for granted but rather give space to the personal additions and emphasize the beautiful windows and materiality in the new wooden floors. A kitchen not only to love for years to come but also a kitchen to use every day. Hopefully, the beautiful school building will remain for hundreds of years and the kitchen will accompany the journey into the future.
The mix of details on the bench has the same feeling of historically meeting modern as the rest of the home and kitchen.
The sink has been mounted under the limestone slab and is matched with a chromed tap.
The house was designed in the middle of the 19th century by Johan Fredrik Åbom, who is also behind buildings such as the Southern Theater, the Academy of Music and Bern's Salons. Until 2002, school activities were conducted on the premises, which were then purchased to be converted into apartments. The blue marking means that you are not allowed to change the floor plan of the house and therefore the 22 school halls have been allowed to become one apartment each.
Photo: Osman Tahir Styling: Caroline Sandström
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